Sleeping Beauty (Novel)
Sleeping Beauty (Dark Parables) is a "novel" included in the bonus content of Curse of Briar Rose collector's edition on PC only through BigFishGames. It recounts the tale of Briar Rose according to the Dark Parables universe, as well as the events of the game itself. It's also the first clue that the Detective is a female until later games. Sleeping Beauty (Dark Parables) On the day the princess was born, the king held a great festival and invited all but one godmother, who was strong in sorcery yet wicked in heart. Upon hearing the news of the festival, the Evil Godmother placed a curse on the newborn child. Later in life, the young princess came across a spindle in a dusty old room in the castle and pricked her finger. The inhabitants of the castle instantly fell under the power of a sleeping spell while briars burst from the ground and enshrouded the castle. One day, a daring prince braved the thick vines and ventured into the castle. Upon finding the princess, he gave her a kiss, which was foretold to free the princess from her curse. Though the kiss removed the briars and awakened the inhabitants, the princess never rose from her eternal slumber. Many years have passed and the truth behind the sleeping princess has been forgotten. What remains is the tale passed down through generations as "The Sleeping Beauty." As decades and centuries passed, the tale has been assumed to be a myth, with only a handful of beings knowing the reality of the situation. The thorns continually returned to the castle, as though they were weeds that could not be completely eradicated. Two of the original godmothers, Godmother of Rose and Godmother of Ivy, worked diligently over the years to contain the curse of the thorns. Through their tireless efforts, eventually, the curse was contained for the next thousand years. One day, unexpectedly, the curse returned. The thorns rapidly re-grew, filling the long-abandoned castle with hundreds of deadly vines. Perhaps their long dormancy had built up their thirst for vengeance. Such a bizarre occurrence did not simply go unnoticed. A top detective agency, in fact, detected the anomaly almost immediately. Sensing the potential for paranormal danger, they sent one of their top agents to investigate. Covertly entering the city around the castle, the young ace detective inspected the area. She took special care to ensure that her investigation was surreptitious, so as not to instigate a greater panic, for the people of the city, had seen what happened but had no idea what to make of it. The detective managed to secure some samples of the thorny briar and returned them to the agency. The agency's top scientists analyzed the samples. They concluded that the vines were growing at such a rapid rate that they would overwhelm the entire city within seven days. Furthermore, it was clear that modern technology was unable to eradicate these plants. Although public officials for the city had already taken steps to organize the necessary (in their minds) equipment to remove the vines, the agency knew such measures would be ultimately useless. The agency decided they needed to learn more about the mysterious castle and the plague of thorns. The young detective returned to the scene. Relying primarily on her wits, she searched for a way past the castle gates. The briars had not completely barred entry into the castle, but it was not an easy task. Fortunately, the detective was patient and made her way into the castle grounds. Once she was in the courtyard, she searched for a way into the castle itself. While exploring the grounds, a creaking sound drew her attention. The sound belonged to an old swing. As she approached the swing, a spirit came to greet her: it was the spirit of Briar Rose. The detective remained cool and calm as the spirit approached. "Please help me," the spirit of Briar Rose whispered. "My body has been asleep for centuries because of a curse placed by a wicked, vile woman. She is the Evil Godmother. Her spirit seeks to find my sleeping body, to possess it, and to wreak havoc upon the world she despises. You must find my body and awaken me before it is too late. I can already feel her spirit-stirring, in search of my body. So far, the defenses placed by my good godmothers have held, but I feel their power waning. It is only a matter of time before the Evil Godmother is able to steal my flesh." Seemingly unperturbed by the apparition, the detective replied, "Where is your body? How can I find you and wake you up?" Briar Rose's aura shimmered slightly, as though fading from reality. She looked very tired and unfocused. "I lack the strength to maintain this astral projection," she whispered, almost inaudibly. "Please, help me." With that, the spirit dissipated completely. With a nonchalant sense of calm, the detective continued probing for clues. She made her way inside the castle. She explored the various rooms, and there were many, for the castle was as complex as a labyrinth. There was dust on every shelf and there were cobwebs in nearly every corner. Still, the detective diligently checked every room she could in her search for Briar Rose. Eventually, the detective encountered a gargantuan spider, giant enough to be able to eat a man. But this detective was no man! She was undeterred by this abomination. She found a torch and used the flame to keep the repulsive creature at bay. The detective thereby gained access to more areas in the castle. Pressing on, the detective found an expansive laboratory. It was an alchemist's lab, and there were many unusual contraptions within the room. Most startlingly, she discovered a functioning teleportation device. The device transported her to a hidden chamber, where she found a remarkable journal. The journal contained many interesting notes that the detective would use in her quest. There were instructions on how to concoct a unique "Rose Potion" which would cure the sleeping beauty and awaken her. According to the notes in the journal, the potion was devised well after the Godmothers Rose and Ivy contained the curse. Everything she needed to create the potion was in the lab. There were also directions on what to do with the potion, too. There was still the matter of actually finding Briar Rose. Like many things in life, it was a complicated task. The detective felt lost, at times, in the labyrinthine castle, which was filled with unyielding obstacles and maniacal puzzles. At one point, in order to explore one of the castle towers, she had to search for a shield. Once she obtained it, she placed it in the grasp of the statue of a knight. Mechanisms within activated and heavy gears churned, moving the statue aside to provide an entryway into the tower. Performing task after task, the detective relentlessly pursued the whereabouts of the sleeping Briar Rose. Though there were instances when she felt like quitting, she always found an inner strength to persevere through her trials. Finally, after solving a challenging puzzle involving a life-size marionette stage, she earned a rusty old key. With this key, and using other clues she had obtained, she unlocked a secret passageway in the graveyard, which led down to an underground chamber. The sleeping princess was there, waiting to be awakened. There was also a special machine in the room, which required the Rose Potion to activate. The machine would wake the princess and end the curse forever. Once the detective injected the potion into the machine, however, the spirit of the Evil Godmother confronted her! Hiding in the form of a wretched crow, the Evil Godmother's spirit had been monitoring the detective throughout her investigation. Red smoke seeped out of the crow's eyes in rapacious anticipation of hijacking Briar Rose's body. The detective did not panic. Utterly composed, she coolly punched in the correct code sequence and the machine emitted a keen scent which awakened Briar Rose from her mystical enchantment before the Evil Godmother could possess her. Once the princess awoke, the Evil Godmother's spirit had nowhere to go and was dispelled out of existence. The princess slowly got up. After such a long slumber, she obviously required some time to acclimate herself, not only to the world but to living again. The detective helped the princess return to her traditional bedchamber in the castle, which, amazingly, remained in pristine condition. Looking out the window, Briar Rose marveled at her second chance at life. She marveled at the fantastic city that had grown up around her castle. She marveled at the heroine who had conquered an epic curse. The detective, satisfied that she had completed her job, returned to the agency. New missions awaited her. Category:Reference Category:Curse of Briar Rose Category:Archives